Philadelphia Nesties
SJU1982
member
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Potluck Suggestion for Work Luncheon?
Does anyone have a no fail dish they would mind recommending?
My husband's work is having a potluck luncheon on Monday for approximately 15 people. I usually make pasta salad, but since it's for Christmas, I think a hot dish would be more appropriate. It could be a crockpot or I could use those burner things. I plan on making the dish on Sunday.
My husband is always bragging about my cooking, so it needs to be great. Can't let the big guy down!
Thanks in advance 
Re: Potluck Suggestion for Work Luncheon?
Crock pot Mac and Cheese
1 box of Rotini pasta2 cups cheddar jack, shredded
2 cups Monterey jack, shredded
Half of a large block of Velveeta
3 cups milk
Garlic salt
Butter ? ? stick (optional)
Bread crumbs, any flavor (optional but highly recommended)
1. Boil a pot of water for the pasta.
2. Cook ? time on box ? usually about 7 minutes.
3. Strain pasta.
4. Place pasta and all ingredients in the crock pot, mixing together.
5. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.
6. If you put on low, make sure to check periodically, as it sometimes is done sooner.
7. Approximately 30-45 minutes before the macaroni and cheese is done, sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.
8. When breadcrumbs are crispy, it is ready.
Just add milk as needed by the tablespoon to keep creamy and not dried.
I've made this before - it says it serves 8, but when I made it, we each had large servings of it for dinner (for 7) and we had leftovers. I think it would be fine for 15 people, assuming there will be other dishes.
http://www.americanfamily.com/recipes/easy-slow-cooker-jambalaya/43136
If you wanted something more appetizer-ish, Get a big bag of frozen cocktail-size meatballs, 1 jar of grape jelly and 1 jar of chili sauce - everything goes in the crockpot for 6ish hours. Sounds weird but it's my most-requested dish at parties.
Roasted root veggies. Can be warm or room temp. I made this for my husband for a similar pot-luck lunch for his work.
Cut up your favorites--sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, celery root, etc. Toss in olive oil, garlic and rosemary and roast at 400 degrees for 30 min on a cookie sheet. Give the veggies a little shake about mid-way through to even the cooking.
This BLT dip won me first place in Toyota's Christmas potluck lunch. Everyone begs my husband for me to make it every year. I follow this recipe but at the same time, I don't. Instead of 6 slices of bacon, I use the whole package. Who doesn't love bacon?! I also use a ton more tomatoes and a ton more onions than the recipe calls for. I usually serve it with sliced fresh french bread so I like it more on the meaty/chunky side.
Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato Dip
This appetizer spin-off of the beloved BLT sandwich will be as popular as the original.
Prep time: 15 minutes Chill time: 3 hours
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
? cup ranch salad dressing
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced (about ? cup)
6 bacon slices, crisply cooked, drained and chopped
? cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon sugar
Lettuce leaves
2 loaves Canape French Bread
1. Place cream cheese in Classic Batter Bowl. Gradually stir in dressing; mix well.
2. Remove seeds from tomato; dice tomato using Utility Knife. Reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish. Using Food Chopper, chop bacon celery and onion. Add tomato, bacon, celery, onion and sugar to cream cheese mixture; mix well. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours to allow flavors to blend.
3. To serve, line chilled Chillzanne Mini-Bowl with lettuce leaves. Fill with dip. Garnish with reserved tomato. Serve with toasted Canap? French Bread.
Yield: 20 servings (about 2? cups dip)
Nutrients per serving ( 2 tablespoons dip): Calories 80, Total Fat 7 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 15 mg, Carbohydrate 1 g, Protein 2 g, Sodium 95 mg, Fiber 0g
Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1? fat
I made these for a party we hosted last month, and now everyone is requesting them for our holiday get-togethers. They're a great appetizer/side dish and you can make them the night before and then just heat them up before your party. For a party of 30-40 people, I doubled the recipe. I also used Trader Joe's puff pastry.
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/sausage-rolls
Thanks everyone.
Crockpot Mac and Cheese <-- This sounds tasty.
Does the pasta remain al dente if cooked right? I'm always afraid to cook pasta in the crock pot in case it get's mushy - I despise soft pasta.
And would this quantity be enough for 15 people to each get a scoop or two, or does it need to be doubled?
i couldn't read the rest of the replies without saying "that's what she said" to this. yes, my body has been inhabited by a 13 year old boy today.